Prize-Winning Recipe 2009! Try this easier cookie-mix take on a classic layered chocolate and vanilla bar.

Ingredients

Cookie Base

1

pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ double chocolate chunk cookie mix

1

cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2

cup chopped nut topping or chopped walnuts

1/2

cup coconut

1

cup butter or margarine, melted

1

egg

Filling

4

cups powdered sugar

4

tablespoons vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/3

cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4

cup milk

Topping

1

bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1/4

cup butter or margarine

Directions

1Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until well mixed. Spread into pan; press lightly. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

2In another large bowl, stir together powdered sugar and pudding mix. Add 1/3 cup butter and the milk; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth (filling will be very thick). Spoon over cookie base; press evenly to cover. Refrigerate while making topping.

Expert Tips

"Using a cookie mix makes this traditional Christmas classic super easy! So now I make them all year round."

Bars are easiest to cut if they're chilled for 30 minutes.

Canadian legend claims that the bar (chocolate crumb-base, layer of vanilla, covered in chocolate) originated in Nanaimo, Canada, in the 1950s. Although unsubstantiated, the story is that a local housewife submitted the recipe under the name "Nanaimo Bars" for a recipe contest.